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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “bcrypt”

wp.org orders by popularity, so a plugin a host bundled onto millions of sites, or a big-brand one that's slow and mediocre, can sit at the top. Our ranking is built to answer a different question: which of these is actually worth installing. How this works →

For “bcrypt”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 of the top 20. 1 plugin is pushed down for signals wp.org ignores: errors, a host-installed base, or removal risk.

wp.org search ranks on

Install count (uncapped), the raw star average, freshness, and support. Popularity dominates, so the biggest install base usually wins regardless of how it got there.

We add

A cap on the install boost, volume-weighted ratings, and signals wp.org can't see: whether the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Moonrank Integration shows at wp.org #4 but places #9 on merit, a gap of 5 places. Its 20+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Passster – Password Protect Pages and Content places #3 on merit, 4.2★ from 60 reviews, but shows at wp.org #13. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Passwords Evolved 400+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #1 2 Apocalypse Meow 300+ · 5.0★ (23) wp.org #12 10 too low 3 Passster – Password Protect Pages and Content 10K+ · 4.2★ (60) wp.org #13 ↓2 10 too low 4 Better Passwords 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too high 5 PHP Native Password Hash 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #6 ↓2 1 too low 6 NEWTIV Migrate — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #2 4 too high 7 A2 Optimized WP – Turbocharge and secure your WordPress site 60K+ · 3.1★ (43) wp.org #16 ↓1 9 too low 8 Happy Coders OTP Login for WooCommerce 30+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #15 ↓1 7 too low 9 Moonrank Integration 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #4 ↓1 5 too high 10 THiS SEO 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #5 5 too high 11 Agentdesk Site Operations — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 ↓1 4 too high 12 DirectRelay – n8n WordPress Plugin: Workflow Automation, REST API, Webhooks & AI Agents — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 4 too high 13 MaxLimits – Increase Maximum Upload, Post & PHP Limits 2K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #14 ↓1 1 too low 14 PressVitals Site Auditor — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 5 too high 15 SiteBrief — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 ↓1 5 too high 16 Zen Login & Authentication — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 ↓1 5 too high 17 Password Protect – Temporary Login Without Password & Password Protect Entire Site 100+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #17 ↑2 18 Keystone OIDC 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 2 too low 19 Kiwiz for WooCommerce 60+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 2 too low 20 StageBridge 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 2 too low 21 AutoBoost SEO – AI Alt Text Generator & Bulk Image SEO — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 2 too low 22 AICOM – AI Commander 60+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 ↓2 4 too high 23 Rabbit Gateway — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 ePayVista Payments: High-Risk Crypto and Card Payment Gateway for WooCommerce 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 ↓1 5 too high

Merit ranking caps the install boost at 1M (wp.org leaves it uncapped), replaces the raw star average with a volume-weighted Bayesian score and a Wilson lower bound, and keeps wp.org's own freshness and compatibility decays. Method from the plugin-directory source; see Meta Trac #8298. Positions are tracked daily from the first visit to a keyword, so the small arrows show movement since tracking began.